This application relates generally to systems and methods for inserting mail materials into mailing envelopes. More particularly, this applications relates to systems and methods that tailor the collation of mail materials for insertion into envelopes according to criteria for items on an individual mailing unit.
Many different types of organizations have a general need for high-volume mailing operations so that they may issue items periodically to customers, such as billing statements or the like. It is typically desirable to include inserts with the items to provide information and/or advertising to the customers. The mail-processing facilities currently used to prepare such items with their inserts usually include several systems that perform different functions in the overall process. One such system is used, after items have been printed and folded, to insert the items together with the informative and advertising inserts into envelopes with an inserter. Subsequently, the envelopes are sealed, metered with postage, and mailed out to the customers.
Inserters are generally configured with a conveyor belt along which the item is conveyed to the envelope. At different stations along the conveyor belt, inserts may be stacked with the item from hoppers so that when the item reaches a station for envelope insertion, it is accompanied by the inserts. In other inserter configurations, the envelope is moved along the conveyor belt with the items and inserts being added individually at the hopper stations rather than collectively at the end. In either case, suction or vacuum elements are used to hold the envelopes open for insertion. This may be done by lowering suction cups onto an upper surface of the envelope, applying a vacuum to lift the upper surface of the envelope to open it and thereby ready it to accept insertion of the assembled materials. Following insertion, the vacuum is removed to allow the filled envelope to proceed to subsequent processing steps of sealing and metering. One example of an inserter is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,214, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference for all purposes.
Such a conventional inserter arrangement is limited in versatility since each run of a batch of mail items includes the same inserts for all of the items. There is a general need in the art for improved systems that permit individual selection of inserts for each of the mail items, even during a single batch run.
Embodiments of the invention achieve improved versatility by using a job file from which information is extracted to control operation of an inserter. A job file is used broadly herein to refer to any type of electronically stored information regarding how individual mailing units are assembled, and may include text files, database files, or other types of files. The job file may specify various parameters that determine, individually, how each mail item in a given run of the inserter is to be processed by the inserter. One advantage of such a job file is that it may be modified to change instructions up until the time the job is run. In some instances, the job file is provided by a customer over a dedicated line to a control computer, although in other embodiments it may be provided over the internet.
An inserter suitable for use with embodiments of the invention includes a plurality of hoppers from which inserts may be selected to include with a mail item. The mail item is moved sequentially, such as with a conveyor, to positions that correspond with the plurality of hoppers. At each position for the mail item, information extracted from the job file related to how that mail item is to be processed is used to determine whether the insert from the corresponding hopper should be included with the mail item. If so, the hopper is caused to include the insert with the mail item; otherwise, the mail item is permitted to proceed to the next position without the insert being included. The information may be extracted from the job file by reading an identification from the mail item, such as from a bar code imprinted on the mail item, and by cross referencing the identification with an entry in the job file.
The information extracted from the job file may include other processing instructions that control such aspects of the inserter operation as whether to seal the envelope after filling it with the mail item and any inserts, whether to meter the envelope and perhaps by which of a plurality of meters, whether to direct the envelope along a main output conveyor or along a divert conveyor, and whether to apply zip markers to the envelope. In each instance, those aspects of the operation are performed in accordance with the information from the job file.
Embodiments of the invention may also include an operator display that may be used by an operator to monitor the operation of the inserter and to take corrective action if necessary. The operator display may have a variety of different views accessible by the operator. One such view provides an image of the inserts loaded in the hoppers, and the operator may reassign the inserts among the hoppers by using the display interface. Another view provides a track display having elements that correspond to the positions the mail item may take on the inserter. Activation of one of those elements provides data about the particular mail item that is at that position. In still another view of the display, the operator may enter override information for any of the actions to be taken by the inserter so that it will perform the override function rather that follow the instruction derived from the job-file information.
The methods described above may also be embodied in a computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of the inserter. The program includes instructions to effect the methods described.